Russia, Türkiye stress security of key gas pipelines

MOSCOW, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan held a phone conversation on Tuesday, stressing the importance of ensuring the security of energy pipelines between the two countries.

The two sides emphasized the need to ensure the continued operation of "strategic Russian-Turkish energy projects," amid Ukraine's "persistent attempts to compromise the infrastructure of the Blue Stream and TurkStream gas pipelines," said a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The two ministers also exchanged views on the situation in Iran. The Russian side called for an "urgent de-escalation of the crisis provoked by strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran by Israel and the United States," and urged prioritizing "non-forceful political and diplomatic methods."

Russia expressed its readiness to help facilitate a resolution to the crisis and to coordinate efforts with all relevant parties, including Türkiye, to ease tensions in the Middle East, the statement said.

On March 11, Russian energy giant Gazprom said that since Feb. 24, a total of 12 attempted attacks on the company's gas compressor stations in southern Russia had been repelled. The facilities support the operation of the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines. Enditem